Process of generating combustible gas.



PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

0. ELLIS. PROCESS OF GENERATING COMBUSTIBLE GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR On wQ slug PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.10, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR I 00; mo

UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

I OARLETON ELLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ELDRED PROCESS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF GENERATING COIVIBUSTIBLE GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,011, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed March 10, 1905. Serial No. 249,434.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OARLnToN ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of producer-gas in which the bed of gas-producing fuel is cooled or maintained at the requisite temperature through the combined endothermic action of both carbon dioxid and steam. Apparatus for this purpose is particularly described in copending application Serial N 0. 24:2, 673. For those purposes where a gas containing hydrogen is desired this process, from the standpoint of fuel economy. is especially suited. The inability of the ordinary gas-producer to properly decompose the steam which traverses it results in a large loss of fuel.

The object of the present process is to prevent this loss by reducing the steam to the 25 lowest amount consistent with the formation of the requisite quantity of hydrogen in the producer-gas and by accomplishing a large part of the cooling of the gas-producing mass by carbon dioxid.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, Figure 1 shows a gas-producer 1, having the fuel-hopper 2 and gas-outlet 3. 1 is a furnace, shown in this case of a revcrbcratory type and having the stack 5, through which the products of combustion pass. 6 is a flue or passage connecting the stack 5 with the gasproducer 1 and entering aforesaid gas-producer at 7. S is a pipe for the admission of steam and so constructed and arranged as to 4 have an inductive action on the gas or air contained in the passage 6, thereby creating a blast into and through the gas-producer. 9 is a valve for adjusting the amount of steam so admitted .to the producer. A gate 10 is placed in passage 6 and serves to regulate the amount of stack-gas entering at 7. In the passage 6 between the gate 10 and the producer-inlet T is situated an air-inlet 13, having an adjustable opening 12. by means of which air may be admitted and allowed to mingle 5 with the stack-gas drawn from stack 5. A series of cooling-fins are shown on the passage 6, by means of which the stack-gas may be suitably cooled before it enters the producer. Various means may be used for cooling the stackgases-such, for instance, as the regenerators of a Siemens regenerative furnace or those of the continuous-heating recuperative furnaces. The cooling of the gases in this manner and the application of carbon dioXid so cooled, more particularly without the use of steam, has been described in copending ap plication Serial No. 233,800.

In Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings the gas-producer 1 is shown having the coal-hop- 5 per 2 and gas-delivery pipe 3. An induction air-blower is shown at A. 5 is a fan by means of which stack-gases are drawn through the pipe 6 and are propelled into the gas-producer entering at 7. 8 is a steam-pipe terminating in a jet in the constricted portion of the airblower 4. 9 is a valve for regulating the amount of steam. A gate 10 is placed in the passage leading from the exhaust side of the fan to the producer. 11 is an adjustable damper in the air-inlet pipe 12. A rod 13 connects the gate 10 with the lever 15. The valve 9 is actuated by the rack and pinion 14:. These levers may be so proportioned and adjusted that when the gate 10 is open the valve 9 is closed, and, vice versa, when the valve 9 is open the gate 10 is closed. The lever 15 is situated upon a level with the top of the producer in order that it may be conveniently operated by the gas-maker who works from that point. 5

My method of operation is as follows: Referring to Fig. 1, the gas-producer 1 is filled with coal, which is ignited and when in a state of suitable incandescence the valve 9 of steamjet 8 is opened, allowing of the introduction 9 of steam into the producer. The gates 10 and 13 are then opened and adjustment is made of the valve9 and gate 10 until the proper amount of steam and carbon dioXid is admit ted in the draft-current to maintain the tempera'ture of the producer below the clinkering-point of the coal. The gas from the producer is allowed to depart unburned through passage 3 to the point of consumption. The gas-producer maybe of any approved construction. It is, however, preferably built with a water seal in order to facilitate the easy removal ofthe ash. It has not been considered necessary to show in the accompanying drawings such a water seal, as the same is well known in the art. The ash of the coal is removed in the form of a finelydivided unfused mass quite free from clinker or cindered particles. The gas departing at 3 contains less hydrogen than ordinary producer-gas, owing to the fact that carbon dioxid, like steam, acts as a cooling agent. (Jonsequently less steam is required than by ordinary methods of operation, and as a result less hydrogen is produced in the gas. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the apparatus here illustrated shows a means for the alternate introduction into the gas-prod ucer of carbon dioxid and steam. The movement of the rod 13 upward opens the gate 10 and closes the valve 9, allowing carbon dioxid and air to enter the gas-producer. A downward movement of the rod 13 closes the gate 10 and opens the gate 9, allowing of steam to be blown into the gas-producer, thus sucking in air through the blower 4. By this method carbon dioxid and steam are decomposed alternately in the gas-producer and a gas varying in composition with each reversal is obtained. The gas entering the producer through pipe 6 need not be cooled, but may be taken in a highly-heated state from the furnace and entered into the producer directly, owing to the cooling action of the steam alternately applied. Gas-producer l is shown in this case fitted with grates rather than with a water seal, as, owing to the alternate application of the two cooling mediums employed, such a construction is usually preferable. Automatic valves 17 may be placed in the air-blower & in order to close this passage when the air-blast from the fan 5 is applied.

hat I claim as my invention is- 1. Process for generating combustible gas which consists in applying to a deep bed of ignited fuel, alternately, a draft-current composed of cooled products of combustion and air and one composed of steam and air in predetermined proportions, in passing this draftcurrent under gentle pressure through the mass of fuel thereby cooling the gas-producer and forming combustible gas.

2. Process for generating combustible gas which consists in maintaining a deep bed of ignited fuel below the clinkering-point by passing therethrough, alternately, a draft-current composed of air and prod nets of combustion and then adraft-current composed of air and steam, in withdrawing the combustible gas so produced and in delivering same unburned, to the point of consumption.

3. Process of generating combustible gas which consists in mixing with the air-blast supplied to a deep mass of ignited fuel alternately carbon dioxid and steam in order to cool the gas-producer below the clinkeringpoint of the fuel.

4. Process of making combustible gas which consists in applying to a deep bed of ignited fuel at that point in the bed where the ashes collect a blast-current containing oxygen, in alternately admitting into said blast-current carbon dioxid and steam and in permitting these blasts of alternating composition to pass through the deep bed of fuel to continuously produce gas of fluctuating composition, which is collected and delivered unburned to the point of consumption.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of March, A. D. 1905.

CARLETON ELLIS.

\Vitnesses:

J AS. K. CLARK, MAX F. lViANGELSDORI-F. 

